Intertwined • Hananene/Amanene

We Won't be Parted (6)

Hey! This is just a quick update! Apologies for how inactive I've been, a lot of things have happened in the past few months, and I'm now in college so I've got less time to write! This part has been in my drafts since March, and new parts after this shouldn't take as long to update!! This chapter is much shorter than the rest, because I need to get my head around the story again before I can continue writing it properly.

"I'm sorry, Nene. I'm so sorry."

Why? Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything.

———

The morning after, Nene had noticed Hanako being much more quiet around her. Neither of them had even left the room yet, and Nene could already tell something was off, because he wasn't striking up a conversation like he usually did. Instead, he simply stared at her.

Nene attempted a few times to start a conversation, but Hanako wouldn't talk. She still wasn't sure what felt familiar about any of this, along with being unsure on why Hanako apologised to her.

"Hey- uhm- are you okay?" Nene said, reaching her hand out to him. He looked at her, before looking away.
"Mhm." He nodded, and got up and left the room. Nene stood for a few moments, and tried to follow him out, but she found he'd already walked too far.

———

"What are you so depressed about now?" Yako said, letting out an annoyed sigh as Hanako had his head on the table, clearly not listening.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Why are you so sulky?"
"She found them."
"Found what?"
"Those letters I told you about before. The ones she sent me."
"And?"
"It's just confirmed she doesn't remember a thing."
"So what if she doesn't remember?"
"What? She barely even knows who I am!"

Hanako sat up, and Nene finally found the room he went to. She stood in the doorway, and Yako spotted her.
"She might not right now, but she can meet you again."
"I wish she didn't have to."
"She's right here. Talk to her. I don't want to have to deal with your depression any longer than I need to!"

Yako walked away, leaving just Nene and Hanako. Nene moved over and sat beside him.
"You seriously don't remember?" Hanako asked, and Nene tilted her head.
"Remember what? I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you're referring to."
"Nothing. It's fine, don't worry about it."

Nene looked at him, and he turned to look at her. He stared directly into her eyes, and some mix of emotions appeared like they were flickering on and off from his face.
"Uhm, about those letters..."
"What about them-?"
"When I looked at them, it's like I was trying to remember something I don't. Like there's something about them I was supposed to recognise."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I think that might be what made me sad."

Before Hanako could give a response, there was a loud bang. He shot up, looking in the direction it came from. He glanced back to Nene, who immediately noticed the more serious expression on his face.

"Is something wrong-?" Nene asked, and Hanako, rather than responding quickly, walked away, grabbed his hat, and turned back to look at her.
"Go to where everyone else is. Tell them; Plan B. I think we've been tracked down."
"Plan B? What's that-? Must say it's a really creative name."
"Haha. Just go as fast as you can. I'll catch up with you soon."
"You're sure you'll be okay?" Nene gave a concerned expression, to which Hanako noticed, and gave a soft smile of reassurance.
"This was unexpected but don't worry; we always made sure to prepare for something like this." He said, before leaving the room and Nene, as she sat slightly confused on what he meant.

———

"WHAT?! Is he mad!" Yako yelled, as Yashiro tried to explain as calmly as she could.
"I don't know what Plan B even is! What's he gonna do that's so mad??" Yashiro said, as the rest of the Seven packed up their things. Yako grabbed Yashiro's shoulders and glared, somewhat menacingly.
"Listen, if there's one thing about Seven that most of us know by now, it's that he doesn't let anyone interfere with his plans. I have a feeling he's going to try to take this on by himself."
"Take WHAT on!? I don't get it!"
"You'll see. None of us really know what his plan is, but we get the gist. Everything we're doing, it all has a reason."

Before Yashiro could muster a response, Shijima grabbed hold of the both of them and ran out to the back. The door was padlocked shut, and there was no window. Yako pulled a key from her pocket, unlocking it as quickly as she could. The sounds from across the hall became louder, and Hanako's voice easier to make out.

"I can't let you stop us! If you knew why I'm doing this, you wouldn't say a thing!"

What does he mean?